Grave Morality
by LimerenceMag
Summary: An unknown killer preys on those deemed unworthy. The problem is, no one can prove it. Little is known about the killer's motives. When 16 year old Ron Persey is hit close to home, he will try to stop it, but what can a highschooler do to stop a killer?
1. Chapter 1

It was a Monday at the insurance office and all of the employees were busily hustling - answering calls, faxing forms, and filling out paperwork. The mood of the office was unusually tense on this day. Each person spoke little to their coworkers and seemed to be in more of a rush than usual. One person in particular, Jerry Wells, seemed more agitated than most. He clenched his teeth as he typed with shaking hands, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his pudgy unshaven face. On any other day, his coworkers would notice his distress and ask how he was feeling, but everyone was simply too anxious to take notice or to care. The tenseness was chalked up by most people who noticed as just another closing day, as each person worked furiously to improve their numbers by the end of the day. The recession had already lent itself to a heightened anxiety over each person's job security and combine that with the rush to bring performances into compliance, you have what was happening today. So they the morning wore on, everyone became increasingly anxious. People all around the office could be seen popping antacids to settle their upset stomachs. Donna Long was one of those who, after doing her best to ignore an oncoming migraine, decided she should step out to calm her nerves with a bit of fresh air and a cigarette. She walked over to her work friend's cubicle, stepping unsteadily in her high-heeled shoes as she gripped her purse against her hip, "Sarah, come out with me. I need a smoke," she said breathily, leaning on the side of Sarah Williams's looked up at Donna, her foot nervously tapping the floor as she rolled up her sleeves, "Yeah, you're right. It is pretty awful today, isn't it? Just let me grab my purse," she pushed herself away from her desk and reached down to pick up her purse as she stood up to follow Donna to the two stepped outside and walked around the side of the building, each one fumbling with their lighters as they leaned against the building's brick exterior. "I don't know what's wrong with me today, but I am feeling seriously nauseous and I have the worst migraine coming on," Donna moaned as she rubbed her temples with her free hand, "I wonder if it's that Chinese place I had last night… Ugh… I am never going back there again."Sarah sighed and shook her head, bringing her cigarette to her lips to take a ravenous drag, feeling desperately in need of something to take the edge off of her nerves, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I have just been sweating all morning… it's not even hot today. Usually I need a sweater when I'm sitting at my desk, but today, I swear…" she took another impatient drag from her cigarette as she frowned, "I guess this month has just really got me on edge, you know? Bad case of the nerves."Donna nodded sympathetically, staring off into the distance as she tried to calm her churning stomach. Suddenly, she was hit with a strong wave of nausea which prompted her to reflexively grab her stomach, "Oooh…." she moaned painfully, "I'm so sorry, Sarah, but I feel like I'm going to be sick," she groaned apologetically, smashing her cigarette into a nearby ashtray as she shuffled back inside, heading straight to the ladies' burst her way into the bathroom, startling another coworker who had been at the sink washing her hands. "Do you really need to barge in like that? Shit!" Lisa Merkley snapped. She gasped at her reaction, which had been much harsher than she had intended, "Oh, I'm so sorry Donna, I didn't mean to snap like that. I guess I'm letting the ole nerves get the best of me," she chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the side of her face in embarrassment."Oh, don't worry about it, I am just feeling so incredibly sick," Donna called as she rushed into the closest stall and shut the door, "Ugh!" she moaned from inside the stall, clutching her stomach."Are you ok? Do you want me to get you something to make you feel better?" Lisa asked politely, the concern in her voice sincere."No, no, I just… need to let it run its course. I'll be fine, but thanks, Lisa," she struggled to sound as pleasant as possible, but her nausea was becoming unbearable. "_I am absolutely never eating at that Chinese place again, I feel awful_," she thought to herself repeatedly as she planted her face into her open palms."Oh, ok then, I hope you feel better. Don't hesitate to ask for anything. You know I keep my own little pharmacy at my desk," she offered anxiously as she exited the bathroom, her heels dragging against the tile of the then made her way back to her desk and sat down with a deep sigh. She lifted her hands up and saw how badly they were shaking, "_What is wrong with me today?_" she thought to herself, noting the feeling of paranoia creeping up on her. It was hard for her to keep those obsessive thoughts she was beginning to have at bay, "_I am just overreacting... come on Lisa, get a hold of yourself!_"Though she had walked right by him, Lisa didn't notice that Jerry had become increasingly agitated. He sat at his desk, his computer screen now flashing screensaver images of he and his recently deceased wife. Wiping sweat from his brow, he then reached down to clutch the handle of his drawer, hesitating as he looked down at his trembling fingers. He took a deep breath and opened the drawer to reach inside, grabbing the sawed off semi-automatic shotgun contained inside. He carefully gripped the handle of the gun still within his drawer as he contemplated his next in the bathroom, Donna had begun to sweat profusely, clutching her stomach as tears of pain rolled down the sides of her cheeks. She began to experience heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Stumbling awkwardly to her feet, she thrust open the door of the bathroom stall and shuffled to the bathroom sink, tripping over her heels as she did so. She slammed into the edge of the bathroom counter, letting out a pained screech as she pushed herself up straight. Her heart raced, skipping beats at an increased frequency. She grimaced and placed her hand over her chest to quell the storm within in, "Ugh, this has got to be the worst case of indigestion," she groaned to herself as she lowered her face to the sink to wash away her sweat-smeared makeup. She grabbed hold of the sides of the sink bowl, gasping desperately as she struggled to regain her composure. Her limbs began to ache and her peripheral vision began to fade to black. The pain in her chest became so intense, it was difficult to think or move. Her lungs felt constricted, making it painful to draw a deep breath. She knew she needed help, and she could feel the chill of death drawing near. "I'm too young for a heart attack!" she mouthed tearfully, fumbling drunkenly toward the bathroom door. As she reached out, her vision faded to black and her mind plunged into unconsciousness. Donna fell onto the cold tile floor as her heart began to give in the office, Jerry stared at his own hand strangely, as though he was no longer in control of himself. He sighed weakly and turned his gaze to his screensaver, his eyes catching a photo of him with his three children, their spouses, and his two grandchildren. It had been a family vacation to the beach and he had been so happy to share such a wonderful trip with his young grandchildren. He remembered building sandcastles with them, clapping as they proudly showed their grandpa the beautiful sea shells they found, and enjoying a quiet ocean-side barbecue with his family. Despite all of his anxiety, a smile crept across his face as he remembered. His fingertips gingerly glanced the computer screen as a lone tear rolled down the side of his nose, "forgive me," he mouthed. **Click here to go to Chapter 2**


	2. Chapter 2

_We last left off with an office locked into a tense atmosphere. Donna, one of the employees of the insurance company, suffered a serious cardiac emergency that caused her to collapse onto the floor of the ladies' bathroom. Jerry Wells, a quiet, older man who is a father to three and a grandfather to two, was last seen quietly contemplating his next actions as he held a sawed off semi-automatic shotgun. And now we continue…_ Jerry then stood up, clutching the gun tightly and taking a deep breath as he removed himself from what he was about to do. He assumed an aggressive stance as he bellowed out, "EVERYONE GET ON THE GROUND NOW!" Everyone looked up with a start, wide eyes staring up at Jerry, though none could respond. "I SAID GET ON THE GROUND!" He fired a single shot toward the ceiling. Panic ensued as his frightened coworkers scrambled under their sneered as he looked down at the sniveling cowards, "You all are going to die here. There is nothing you can do. All of the phone lines have been cut and the doors are all locked. There is no escaping your fate," his deep voice resonated coldly through the office, hitting each person's ears like acid. His heart began to beat quickly, skipping beats occasionally as he stepped heavily around the room. "You will all crawl to the far wall," he commanded broadly, "GO, NOW!" he yelled, prompting all of his trembling coworkers to scramble on their hands and knees to the far wall of the office as he demanded."Jerry, please! You don't need to do this! Please, Jerry! Put the gun down!" one of the other older men, Henry Fallow, who had known Jerry quite well pleaded."SHUT UP!" Jerry screamed angrily, stomping toward Henry and shoving the barrel of the gun in his face, "Don't you FUCKING tell me what I need to do!" His voice echoed menacingly through the deathly silent outside, Sarah had finished her cigarette and disposed of it in the ashtray. She took a deep breath as she walked toward the front door of the office building, "Well, I guess I better go in and get back to work before people wonder where I've been," she thought with dread, despising how rotten her day was going. She placed her manicured hands on the handles of the door and gave them a gentle nudge. They didn't open. She stepped back with a start and looked at the handles oddly before giving them a firmer push. They still wouldn't open. "Locked out? Sheesh, I wasn't taking THAT long, guys. Thanks!" she muttered under her breath as she grudgingly stormed to the side of the building to try another door only to find that the side door had also been locked. "Oh, shit. Of all days to lock the side door! What the hell is going on?" she shouted at an imaginary audience as she stormed quickly to the back door, carefully stepping around overgrown foliage as she cursed. Stepping up the concrete stairs, she seized the back door with one hand, only to find, that too, had been locked, "Son of a bitch! What the fuck, you guys?" she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air, "Great! This day just keeps getting better and better!"Sarah then pulled out her cell phone and dialed Donna's desk. She didn't know that Donna was laying dead on the floor of the ladies' bathroom at that exact moment. The phone rang endlessly, but never hit Donna's voicemail. Sarah looked at her phone with irritation plainly written across her face as she dialed Lisa's office phone. The same thing happened – the phone rang endlessly but never went to her voicemail. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Grumbling angrily, she walked back to the front of the building. She pressed the side of her face against the glass windows, shielding her line of vision with her hands as she strained to see if she could wave anyone over to let her in. From the window, she could see the office door, but it had been shut by someone. No one was moving around inside of the lobby and she couldn't see anyone at the front desk, "DAMN IT!" she screamed as she stomped the concrete. Out of ideas, she sat down on the sidewalk, cupping her head in her hands and fuming silently as she figured she would have to wait for someone to leave for their lunch , Jerry now had all of his coworkers lined up against the way. Each one was now clutching their aching chest and gasping uncontrollably. He could feel hot sweat pouring down his back as he marched along the line of coworkers, gun leaning against his shoulder, "Now, now, who shall be the first to die?" he hissed cruelly. He stopped in front of Marcus Redding and pointed an accusing finger down at him, "You cheated on your wife and left her penniless to care for your children, maybe you should die!" his voice boomed 's heart jumped to his throat, "N-no! P-p-please! I'm-m a changed man, I sw-swear!" he stammered nervously raising his hands up glared down at him and quickly turned his gaze to Cathy Stewart, "Or, perhaps you! Every time the office does a charity event, you help yourself to the collections. Just how much money have you made off with, you dirty fucking thief?" he snarled at her, his hand twitching on the trigger of the gasped loudly, all color washing from her face as she struggled to even rolled his eyes as he turned swiftly on his heels, his back to the scared line of employees, "Each and every one of you deserves to die, and you know it," he said in a low voice, "All of you will now close your eyes. NOW CLOSE YOUR FUCKING EYES!" He spun around wildly whipping the shotgun down and waving it over the group. Hesitantly, each person shut their eyes, their hands clamped firmly together in a prayer position or covering their eyes as tears swept slickly through their took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he took several steps back. He had no choice but to shoot them. He had to keep up his end of the deal or else… unspeakable horrors would befall his family. He just couldn't go on living if anything happened to his precious grandchildren or children. He looked mournfully onto his terrified coworkers, each one with their eyes closed before raising his gun and firing at random into the line. Terror broke out, his coworkers began screaming, which was much more of a shock to Jerry than he had imagined it would have been. He snapped away from wherever his mind had been and came to a sickening realization of what he was doing. His finger clamped down on the trigger as he panicked, spraying the office with bullets as the screams faded away. When all were silent, their bodies slumped over each other against the wall, his hands fell numbly to his sides. The gun dropped with a clack to the floor as Jerry stumbled backward. He had killed them. He had killed them all. His knees gave out from under him. He fell backward, his head striking the side of a cubicle. The whole world blurred around him as his head landed limply on the ground. Images of his grandchildren flashed before his eyes as he realized that he would never see them later, police arrived on the scene where they found a woman, Sarah, laying unconscious in front of an attractive office building. She was dressed well and assumed to work inside of the office building. The cause of her condition was unknown and she had been found to have a dangerously weak pulse. As a result, she was immediately given emergency treatment as she was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Upon discovering the doors to the office were all locked, emergency responders were called in to gain entry to the building. They couldn't reach anyone inside of the building, though the parking lot attached to the building was filled with cars. The suspicions of the emergency responders were raised and they promptly made the decision to break down the door to get the people inside out of the building. Once inside, they found the door from the lobby to the office to also be locked. A group of police officers shouted, "Police!" as they forced the door open. Carefully, the three officers spread out to examine the area, "Police! . The entire office area was in complete disarray. Chairs had been flipped over, phones lay on the floor, papers littered the walkways. The responders entered with caution despite none being able to detect any movement whatsoever. Officer Lee Evans led the group slowly through the office, his eyes trained on his path ahead to stay alert should something happen. As he passed several cubicles, he spotted a gun laying on the floor ahead, surrounded by shotgun shells. Lee informed his comrades without tearing his eyes away, "We've got a shotgun, it looks like someone went postal.""Leave the speculation to the detectives, officer," Officer Rae Davis chided, her gun raised defensively as she slowly crept through another part of the area. As Lee bent down to examine the gun, Rae inched forward, leaving the empty cubicles as she crossed the he examined the position of the gun, his eye caught sight of a man's hand. He stood up and pulled out his flashlight to better examine what he saw. The light revealed the body of Jerry Wells, his head surrounded by a thick halo of blood. He kneeled down and placed two fingers on the wrist to check for a pulse. Officer Lee frowned and shook his head sadly, "We have a body over here. Older man, probably in his 60s," he examined the area and found blood on the edge of the desk, "Looks like he fell back and busted his head open.""No movement on my end, Tim, what about you?" Rae called out, still searching her area for any sign of the workers of the building."Negative. Nothing here but a huge mess. Looks like someone left in a hurry. Possibly some sort of scuffle," Officer Tim Gold then came upon a sight that made her blood run cold. Lined up against the wall were at least forty office employees, all dead. Shotgun shells littered the floor around them. "Tim! Lee! Get over here!" She called, to which, both officers immediately ran over, ready to draw their guns. Tim's jaw dropped open at the grisly sight and Lee stared in complete shock."What the fuck?" Lee exclaimed softly, studying the dead bodies."So, Lee's old man lined up his coworkers and shot them?" Tim asked, piecing together what they were seeing at the scene."No, look closer at the bodies," Rae nodded to the group, "they weren't shot. There's no blood, and look," she said, kneeling down and shining a flashlight on one of the bullet casings, "This is a blank. All of them are. There are no bullets, no bullet holes, and no shot wounds," Rae explained to the baffled shook his head, trying to make sense of the murder scene, "Ok, so then the old man fired blanks, scared himself to death, fell onto a desk, busted his head open and died. But, how did everyone else die then? And, why are they lined up like that? This doesn't make any damned sense."Officer Rae shrugged, her eyes fixated on the corpses of the deceased, "I don't know, Lee, but I think this case is beyond our jurisdiction."**Click here to go to Chapter 3**


End file.
